Grand re-opening of Mattapoisett Bogs attracts crowd
Buzzards Bay Coalition Restoration Ecologist Sara Quintal leads a tour of the Mattapoisett Bogs. Photos by Brendan Cassidy
Mark Sylvia speaks. 
Bridges and boardwalks were added to the land. 
Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Lorenco speaks. 
The land is connected to 8 miles of walking trails.
Buzzards Bay Coalition Restoration Ecologist Sara Quintal leads a tour of the Mattapoisett Bogs. Photos by Brendan Cassidy
Mark Sylvia speaks.
Bridges and boardwalks were added to the land.
Mattapoisett Town Administrator Mike Lorenco speaks.
The land is connected to 8 miles of walking trails.
MATTAPOISETT — The Mattapoisett Bogs are a place Town Administrator Mike Lorenco considers “very personal” as he grew up close by and learned how to ice skate on the bogs’ frozen surface during cold winters, which started his passion for the game of hockey.
Lorenco was one of the speakers at a grand reopening ceremony of the Mattapoisett Bogs on Monday, Nov. 25.
The bogs had been closed for the past year due to construction in order to help restore native wetlands on the property.
The Buzzards Bay Coalition purchased the property from Decas Cranberry in 2011 and has spent over a decade doing research, acquiring permits and raising funds to restore the land back to how it was before it was used for cranberry production.
Dozens made their way to the site on Monday to take a look at the progress that has been done. After the series of speakers shared words, guided tours brought guests around the property.
“You are all in for a treat,” said Beth Lambert, director of the state Division of Ecological Restoration, who helped fund the engineering, design and construction of the project. “Next spring and summer are going to be incredible. The site will continue to evolve… You will see new plants, new fish, new wildlife.”
Mark Sylvia, recently elected to the 10th Bristol district state representative seat, said the project will help out in three important ways: protecting drinking water, providing recreational opportunities and also protecting natural resources.
According to Buzzards Bay Coalition President Mark Rasmussen, the project removed a source of pollution immediately adjacent to a public water supply well.
Rasmussen said that collecting scientific information needed to design wetland restoration took years.
The bogs are connected to 8 miles of different trails that are now reopened for public use.
For the past year, pipes, culverts and tubing were removed from the land to naturalize the flow of water, Rasmussen said.
Five bridges and two boardwalks were added to connect trails.
One attendee of the grand opening and tour that followed was Rhode Island resident Doug McGrady.
McGrady said he enjoys exploring open space and wanted to see how “wild” the land would be.
He said that Mattapoisett residents should be excited about the project and having acres of land to walk around on.
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